Joe Arbitello is the coach of the top-ranked Christ the King Royals.christina santucci

The CHSAA boys basketball season is quickly winding down. Class A (Mount St. Michael) and Class B (Salesian) champions have already been crowned and the Class AA playoffs are approaching its penultimate day with the semifinals at Carnesecca Arena Wednesday.

There are six teams still playing basketball this week. Where will they appear in our top 10? Find out below.

1. Christ the King (20-6) (Last week: 1)

The Royals are rolling right along, riding an 11-game winning streak into Wednesday’s Class AA intersectional semifinal against St. Raymond. In a 73-46 quarterfinal win against St. Peter’s, Omar Calhoun became the second player in Christ the King history to reach the 1,000-point plateau as a junior. Former Arizona great Khalid Reeves is the other. That’s some serious company.

The Rice team that thrashed St. Raymond in the New York Archdiocesan final didn’t show up Friday at Christ the King. But the team that showed glimpses of greatness still had enough to bounce back from a disappointing first half to beat the young Lions 68-56 in the quarterfinals. Cincinnati-bound Jermaine Sanders led the way for the Raiders with 16 points, 10 in the decisive third quarter.

The Ravens earned a measure of revenge Thursday, defeating Xaverian 59-49 in the quarterfinals after an embarrassing 81-64 loss at home. That regular-season defeat came two days after St. Ray’s biggest win at the time – a 74-73 overtime victory at Christ the King. Now the Royals will be looking for revenge against St. Ray’s in a game that was the preseason favorite to be for the Class AA title.

The Knights received big performances, on and off the court, from Khamall Dunkley and Eddie Roscigno Friday to shake off a slow start and defeat archrival St. Francis Prep 66-53 in the quarterfinals. Junior guard Will Davis was Holy Cross’ most consistent player, scoring his team’s first 10 points en route to a team-high 21. In an upset win against Rice in the regular season last year, Davis exploded for a career-high 30 points. Knights coach Paul Gilvary would love a repeat performance.

Starters Brian Bernardi and Greg Civiletti were late arriving to St. Francis Prep Thursday and the Clippers followed suit, falling behind by 18 in the first half before their rally came up just short. In his final high-school game, Marist-bound Manny Thomas had a team-high 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Civiletti, who will play at Dowling next year, had 11 points and four boards.

Next: Season complete

6. Bishop Loughlin (12-14) (6)

The Lions battled valiantly after Rice threatened to blow them out early in the second quarter of Friday’s Class AA quarterfinals, even taking a lead seven seconds into the third quarter on a 3-pointer by Jordan Gonzalez. While the disappointment of a season-ending loss is still fresh, Loughlin players can keep their heads up after exceeding expectations this year. A tip of the cap to coach Eddie Gonzalez, who did a tremendous job with a very young team.

Next: Season complete

7. Mount St. Michael (26-1) (9)

Star Peter Aguilar was held in check, limited to just nine points but it mattered little Sunday. The Mountaineers captured the Class A intersectional title because of the performance of the supporting cast, specifically Malik Gill, who hit every big shot in the second half, and Clarence White, who paced the Mount to a 15-point halftime lead.

Christ the King coach Joe Arbitello said if his team ran the motion offense as well and played as scrappy as St. Peter’s, the Royals would never lose a game. That a huge compliment for the Eagles, whose season came to an end Thursday against CK in the Class AA quarterfinals. Stefan Bock had 13 points, including 9-of-11 from the foul line for St. Peter’s in his final high-school game.

Next: Season complete

9. Cardinal Hayes (21-6) (8)

It was a horrid start and a torrid finish, but Cardinal Hayes left Fordham University losing in the Class A intersectional final for a second straight year. This one stings more, though, for senior guard Davon Sylvester, who scored a game-high 26 points after picking up three fouls in the first nine minutes of the game. Adding to the pain was that the loss came against archrival Mount St. Michael.

Next: Season complete

10. Archbishop Stepinac (17-10) (10)

The Crusaders were oh-so-close to making its second straight appearance in the Class A final. Led by Lehigh-bound Conroy Baltimore, who had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Stepinac led for much of the second half until Anthony Maestre keyed Mount’s comeback. And when Tyler Iacuone’s 30-footer at the buzzer rimed out, Stepinac’s reign as Class A champions ended.

Next: Season complete

New: None

Dropped out: None

On the bubble: Archbishop Molloy (13-13), Salesian (19-7) and St. Francis Prep (13-13)